L.A. Noire

Unnecessary additions are irritating. [Issue#196, p.88]

L.A. Noire on the Nintendo Switch brings back the best of this criminal investigation game, as its excellent actor performances and facial animation still look impressive. As unique as L.A. Noire is, however, the conversion to the Nintendo Switch also has its flaws and it doesn't add anything too significant to the original game.

This L.A. Noire remaster is more than worth revisiting, even if it is lousy with issues that just start to seem more apparent with time. It's the definition of flawed ambition, shooting for the stars and never quite reaching it. It's rare to find a game like this that is willing to be so simple and down-to-earth, about a cop with a wife (who's never even threatened or fridged!) just doing the work. Hopefully Rockstar's remastering of it is a suggestion that they're on their way to starting the franchise back up – it may still be enjoyable, but there's a lot that could be improved.

L.A Noire is still a unique game, even if it has some problems. The Switch version looks great, and is overall the best way to experience this.

This new version of L.A. Noire is like the original game, with a few tweaks. The graphics look excellent, but the story and repetitive gameplay are not amazing.

L. A. Noire deserves a second look. The new version is mostly a couple of new text lines and camera angles, and the game still has the same flaws, but I enjoyed the journey anyway after not having touched it for six years.

L.A. Noire wasn't a faultless game back in 2011 and that hasn't changed in 2017, yet it somehow manages to be more than the sum of its parts. We suspect it will be regarded as a pioneering classic for the next few years regardless; few games treat the player to such a grown-up and mature experience as this, and that's important for the video game industry as a whole.

Still arguably the best detective game, and an impressively ambitious example of adult storytelling – despite a few structural and narrative flaws.

If sharp visuals and higher frame rate are huge factors in your enjoyment, then you're better off playing L.A. Noire on PS4 and Xbox One, which sport added bells and whistles that elevate the game's performance. But if you're charmed by the idea of experiencing it portably, then L.A. Noire on Switch comes recommended. It may not work the best under pressure, but it's well worth replaying or experiencing for the first time on Nintendo's convertible console.

L.A. Noire transcended quite well into this console generation. The crime solving adventure still has some highly captivating elements. But it also kept its deficits like the boring fist fights, the trivial shoot-outs or too little mechanical variety overall.

LA Noire on Switch isn't perfect, but a lot of that's down to its age and the mechanics. As a port, it plays great on Switch.

If you didn't have the opportunity to play it since 2011, you can go for the Nintendo Switch version of L.A. Noire without fear as it's still a good adventure game with some great investigation and interrogating systems that have an impact on the way you solve cases, and an amazing atmosphere with some excellent acting. The port is true to the original game and has some issues, on TV and docked mode, but it doesn't prevent the game from being an immersive experience.